Centrifugal machine



Oct. 22, 1935. G. AITKEN 2,018,433

Y CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE I Filed NOV. 7, 1934 2 S1'1ee1',s-S1'xeetl l Oct. 22, 1935.` G. AITKEN 2,018,433

CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FiledNov. Y, 1954 2 sheets-sheet? FIG- Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Northern Ireland Application November 7, 1934, Serial No. 751,939` In Great Britain September 11, 1934 4 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to that type of centrifugal machine, principally used for hydroextraction, including a monitor casing for housing the rotary basket and provided with a hinged cover which can be opened only when the basket is at rest.

'I'he present invention has i or its primary object the provision of improved means for locking the cover, including a bolt which is prevented from retraction to unlock the cover while the basket is in motion.

A further object is the provision of improved bolt-unlatching means necessitating the use oi both hands of an operative.

Cover-locking means constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section, Fig. 2 a part plan horizontal section, and Fig. 3 a side elevation, the bolt being shown in shot position; Fig. 4 is a part front end elevation, part transverse vertical section; Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal vertical sections showing progressive steps in the actuation of the bolt-unlatching means; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the monitor casing, drawn to a smaller scale.

Referring to the drawings, I denotes the rotary basket and 2 the monitor casing, which houses the basket and which is itted with a hinged cover 3.

Mounted on top of the monitor casing 2 is a horizontally slidable bolt 4 adapted, when shot, to enter a socket or aperture 5 in a keeper bracket 6 attached to the cover 3, whereby to lock the cover 3 in shut position. Pivoted at l to a bracket 8 fixed within the monito-r casing 2 below the bolt 4 is a two-armed pendulous'lever having an upper arm 9 and a lower arm Ill. The arm 9 presents a slot I I straddling a pin |2 tted to the rear end of the bolt 4. The arm I0 carries a roller I3 engageable by strikers rotating with the basket I and constituted, in the construction shown, by enlarged heads I4 of rivets I5 serving to attach to the l basket I the flange I6' of an annular top wall IS. Cut in the top face of the bolt 4 are ratchet teeth Il engageable by a latch member I8 pivoted'at I 9 within a box which accommodates the bolt 4 and which is attached to the monitor casing 2. Slidable in parallel with the bolt 4 and arranged one on each side of the bolt 4 are two cam slides 2 I 22 fitted with vears 23, 24, respectively, adapted for engagement by the thumbs of an operative. To unlock the cover 3, the operative, by pushing -on the ears 23, 24, displaces the cam slides in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 1) in ears 23, 24 may be gained only through lateral openings 23', 24', respectively, in a shield 35 covering the box 2t, said openings 23', 24' being so dimensioned and located that the operative is compelled to use both hands in order to eiect displacement of the cam slides 2|, 22. TheV latch member I8 is provided near its free end with a follower pin 28 the ends oi which cooperate, respectively, with cam edges presented by the slides 2i, 22. The slide 2| is formed with an inclined 10 cam edge 23 extending between upright edges 30,

3 i. The slide 22 is formed with an inclined cam edge 32 emerging at its forward end into a depressed notch 33 and at its rear end into a short loppositely inclined edge 34. Unitary with the l5 slides 2 I, 22 are projecting tongues 2|', 22', respectively.

When the lever arm I0 is positioned with the roller I3 resting on the outer peripheral wall oi the basket l, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1L the basket I being stationary, the bolt 4 is retracted, permitting the cover 3 to be opened. In the retracted position of the bolt 4, as shown in Fig. 6, the teeth Il are disposed rearwardly of the latch member I8 which rests on the untoothed 25 forward portion of the bolt 4. When rotation oi the basket I is initiated, the lever arm II'I is impelled outwardly and upwardly into the position shown in full lines in Fig. l, by the impact of one or more of the strikers I4 with the roller I3, whereby the bolt 4 is shot, as shown in Fig. 1, and the cover 3 locked. In the forward or shooting travel of the bolt 4 the latch'member I8 drops by gravity into locking engagement with one or other of the teeth I'I and thereby retains the bolt 4 in shot position. When the latch member I8 drops into locking engagement with the bolt 4, one end of the pin 28 enters the notch 33 in the slide 22, and the other end of the pin 28 engages the low end of the cam edge 29 oi the slide 2|. Rotation of the basket I being arrested, in order to unlock the cover 3, the operative pushes on the ear 23 with the thumb of one hand and on the ear 24 with the thumb of his other hand. As one end of the pin 23 is in engagement with the notch 33 in the slide 22, the slide 22 is immovable until the pin 28 is withdrawn from the notch 33. On forward displacement of the slide 2| to the position shown in Fig. 5, the cam edge 29, acting on the pin 28, raises the latch member I8 until the pin 28 vacates the notch 33, the movement of the latch member I8 being insufficient to release the bolt 4. While maintaining pressure on the ear 2e to hold the slide 2| at the forward 55 end of its travel, the operative, by pushing on the ear 24, displaces the slide 22 forwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, in opposition to the spring 21, whereby the cam edge 32 engages the pin 28 and disengages the latch member I 8 from the bolt II, which latter is thereupon retracted under the action of gravity on the lever 9, I0, the arm I0 swinging downwardly and inwardly to initial position. In the forward positions of the slides 2|, 22 `the tongues 2 I 22' enter the aperture 5 in the keeper bracket 6 and prevent the cover 3 from being opened until both cam slides 2 I, 22 are permitted to return to initial position under the actionof the springs 26, 2'I, on release by the operative of the ears 23, 24.

Should the basket I be rotating when the operative seeks to actuate the slides 2I, 22 to ldisen-V gage the latch member I8, the lever 9, I0 will normally vibrate once only and will be held by the latch I 8 against further vibration; If the operative maintainsthe slide 22 in forward position while the basket IV is rotating, the latch member VI8 will, by virtue of the provision of the cam edge 34, re-engage the bolt 4 and hold it in shot position.

1. A centrifugal machine embodying, in combination with a rotary basket and a monitor casing having an openable cover, a cover-locking bolt, a lever mounted on said monitor casing for operating said bolt, striking means rotatable with the basket and engageable with said lever to effect the shooting movement of said bolt,

latch means for holding said bolt in shot position, 5

and manually operable bolt-unlatching means mounted on said monitor casing to permit withdrawal of said bolt by said lever until the next engagement of said lever by said striking means.

2. A centrifugal machine as claimed in claim 1 l0 in which the bolt-unlatching ymeans comprises a pair of slides having cam edges engageable with the latch means to effect the unlatching of said bolt.

3. A centrifugal machine as claimed ln claim 1 15 in which the latch means comprises a pivoted latch member engageable with a toothed part of the bolt and the bolt-unlatching means comprises a pair of slides having cam edges and a follower on the latch member with which said 20 cam edges are engageable to effect unlatching of the bolt.

4. A centrifugal machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the lever is constituted as a doublearmed lever a depending arm of which carries 25 a follower engageable by the striking means and the other arm of which is operatively connected to the bolt.

GEORGE AI'IKEN. 

